NEBAT Announces Several Promotions

National Exchange Bank & Trust president and chief executive officer Eric Stone has announced numerous promotions within the organization.

Bob Benzinger – SVP/Retail Banking

Bob Benzinger is promoted to Senior Vice President of Retail Banking and works out of the South Main Street office in Fond du Lac.

Benzinger joined the bank in 2017 as a Loan Project Officer and brought with him more than ten years of experience in the financial industry. In his new role, Benzinger will oversee and manage retail banking operations for all locations, which will include strategic planning and organization of talent development of those teams.

Benzinger holds a degree in business finance from UW – Oshkosh. Benzinger currently resides in St. Peter with his family. He is an active participant of Envision Greater Fond du Lac and member of his church. 

Kari De Smith – Operations Officer

Kari De Smith is promoted to Operations Officer and oversees operations for both the Cedar Grove and Adell offices.

De Smith joined the bank in 2015 as a Teller/Customer Service Representative. She then became Team Leader before being named Operations Manager in Cedar Grove in 2021. In her expanded role, she will continue to hire and train new staff and ensure smooth retail deposit operations.

De Smith grew up in Bonduel, where she attended Bonduel High School. She has received certificates in personal banking and branch management from the Wisconsin Bankers’ Association as well as a supervisor certificate from the American Bankers Association. Currently, De Smith resides in Oostburg with her husband.

Stephanie Fell – Operations Officer

Stephanie Fell is promoted to Operations Officer and works out of the South Main Street office in Fond du Lac.

Fell joined the bank in 2015 as a Customer Service Representative. In 2020, she was promoted to Operations Manager. With her promotion, Fell has taken on managing the customer service staff at the bank’s office inside Festival Foods and virtual banking customer service. Fell will also continue to hire and train new staff and ensure smooth retail deposit operations in Fond du Lac.

Fell grew up in Campbellsport, where she attended Campbellsport High School. She went on to receive her bachelor’s degree in social work from Marian University. Fell currently resides in Eden with her husband.

Molly Gilbertson – Operations Officer

Molly Gilbertson is promoted to Operations Officer and works out of the Beaver Dam office.

Gilbertson joined the bank in 2021 as an Operations Manager. With her increased responsibility and experience, Gilbertson will continue to lead the Beaver Dam office in providing excellent customer service. In her role, she manages, trains and hires staff as needed to ensure smooth retail deposit operations. She is also charged with representing the bank in the community and growing NEBAT’s presence in the surrounding area.

Gilbertson grew up in New London, where she attended New London Senior High School. She attended UW - Oshkosh, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in sociology. Gilbertson currently resides in Waupun. She is an active board member of the Kiwanis Club in Beaver Dam.

Bryant Greenfield – AVP/ Regional Operations Leader

Bryant Greenfield is promoted to Assistant Vice President /Regional Operations Leader. In his new role, Greenfield will now oversee operations in the western region, including Pardeeville, Montello, Kingston/Dalton, Princeton, Westfield, and Coloma. Greenfield joined the bank in 2015 as an operations officer. At that time, he was responsible for managing the daily operations of the Rosendale office and community lending. In 2017, he took on the added responsibility of managing the Brandon office and in 2022 became a Regional Operations Leader/Officer for the Brandon, Dalton, Kingston, Montello, Princeton, and Rosendale offices.

Greenfield grew up in Waupun, where he attended Central Wisconsin Christian High School. He went on to receive his bachelor’s degree in finance and economics at Calvin College. He and his family currently reside in Waupun.

Brooke Haen – Benefits Officer

Brooke Haen is promoted to benefits officer and works out of the South Main Street office in Fond du Lac.

Haen joined the bank in 2019 as a benefits manager and brought with her seven years of human resources experience. In her expanded role, Haen will manage NEBAT’s employee benefits program, including retirement benefits and the bank’s wellbeing program.

Haen grew up in Oakfield, where she currently resides with her significant other. She attended Marian University, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in human resources and management.

Dan Repinski – BSA Officer

Dan Repinski is promoted to BSA Officer and works out of the West Bend office.

Repinski joined the bank in 2023 as a BSA Team leader and was promoted shortly after to BSA Manager. In his expanded role, Repinski will manage BSA compliance coordination and monitoring, including monitoring the banks operations, administering annual risk assessments, developing compliance training, sharing educational information, reviewing any potential regulatory issues or concerns, and signing off on tasks related to monitoring and reporting suspicious account activity.  

Repinski resides in West Bend with his family. He holds a business administration and management degree from Lakeland University as well as a master’s degree and executive leadership certificate from UW – Madison.

Deanna Respalje – VP/Retail Loan Operations

Deanna Respalje is promoted to Vice President of retail loan operations and works out of the Waupun office.

Respalje joined the bank in 2003 as a credit analyst and held several other positions before being promoted to AVP of Retail Loan Operations in 2019. In her expanded role, Respalje will oversee the retail loan underwriting, processing, and imaging departments, and work closely with the Retail Lending Supervisors to maintain a positive relationship between loan origination and fulfillment.  

Respalje grew up in Waupun, where she attended Waupun High School. She continued her education at Marian University, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in economics and finance. Respalje then went on to receive her master’s degree in organizational leadership and quality from Marian University. She and her family currently reside in Waupun, where she is an active member of the community, serving on the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Mortgage Bankers Association.

Brandi Surprise – Commercial Loan Operations Officer

Brandi Surprise is promoted to commercial loan operations officer and works out of an operations building in Downtown Fond du Lac.

Surprise joined the bank in 1993 in the loan services department. In her expanded role, Surprise will manage systems, workflows and processes for all commercial loan processing functions, loan coordinator training, and answer questions surrounding commercial loan processing.

Surprise graduated from Moraine Park Technical College with degrees in supervisory management and accounting. She currently resides in Beaver Dam with her family.

Alec Thiessen – Correspondent Credit Officer

Alec Thiessen is promoted to correspondent credit officer and works out of the South Main Street office in Fond du Lac.

Thiessen joined the bank in 2017 as a credit analyst. In his new role, Thiessen will be responsible for underwriting commercial credit requests from participant banks and in-market borrowers.

Thiessen grew up in Jackson and attended West Bend High School. He continued his education at the UW - Whitewater, where he received his bachelor’s degree in economics. Thiessen currently resides in Oshkosh.